Chapter 9%
“Let’s not forget something here,” I said, my voice sharp but steady. “You’re the one who cheated. You’re the one who lied. And you’re the one who had a whole secret family. So what gives you the right to come in here and talk to me like I’m the problem?”
Salvatore’s face turned red like he was about to explode. He clutched his chest, clearly struggling to come up with something to say, but nothing came out.
Queenie, probably sensing he was losing ground, tried to jump in and play the victim card. She gently touched her swollen cheek and looked at me with watery eyes.&
“I know you’re mad at me,” she said, voice all soft and pitiful. “But… I didn’t ask to be born into this. We share the same blood, Yesenia. Doesn’t that mean anything?”
I didn’t even respond. Instead, I gave the servant a quick nod. A moment later, two police officers stepped into the room.
The moment Salvatore saw them, he lit up, like he actually thought they were here to save him.”
“Officers! You came just in time,” he said, straightening up. “This girl has no respect for her parents. She’s being completely out of line. You need to take her away and teach her a lesson!“}
The officers didn’t even look at him. One of them turned to me and asked, “You the one who made the call?”
I nodded.
Salvatore blinked like he couldn’t believe it. “You? You called the police? What are you trying to do, have your own father arrested? What the hell is wrong with you?! Are you seriously trying to drive me to my grave?!“}]
I gave him a look. “Well, I did call the cops. But let’s be real, the whole guilt trip is getting old.“}]
He stared at me, stunned.
“You might want to sit down for this,” I went on, calmly. “Because whether or not I’m a terrible daughter, that’s not really the issue. The issue is, you broke the law.”
His face dropped.
“Bigamy, for one. You really thought no one would notice? Queenie waving around that marriage certificate in public? Yeah, thanks for that by the way, that counts as evidence.“}]
I paused, giving him time to absorb it before continuing. “But honestly, the bigger problem isn’t even that. It’s the money.”
His color drained even more.
“See, I always wondered how someone who constantly cried poor could afford to pay off debts with millions after the divorce. So I did a little digging. Went through the company books.
“And what do you know? Turns out you were quietly siphoning money out of the family business to fund your side life. You’ve been embezzling company funds to support your mistress and Queenie for years.“}
I looked at the officers. “I’ve got all the paperwork ready, bank statements, transfer records, everything.“}
Then I turned back to Queenie with a faint smirk. “So really, I should thank her. If she hadn’t made a scene at my birthday party, Mom and I might still be in the dark. But now? Now we know exactly what you two have been up to.”
Salvatore was completely speechless. Maybe it finally hit him that he was about to end up in jail and all of his anger turned to Queenie.}
He spun around and kicked her hard. “I’ll beat you to death! You stupid daughter, are you out of your mind? Are you trying to ruin me? Have you had enough of the good life?” he yelled. “I’ll beat you to death!”
The police stepped in fast, pulling Salvatore away and restraining him.
Meanwhile, Queenie, barely conscious, was rushed to the hospital. Salvatore’s kick had broken several of her ribs, so she was stuck in the hospital for months, unable to get out of bed.}}
When she finally got out of bed, Salvatore’s trial was already underway. No one saw it coming, Salvatore wasn’t convicted of bigamy.}]
Turned out Queenie wasn’t even his biological daughter. She was actually her mother’s child with someone else. Because there wasn’t enough evidence, the bigamy charge was dropped.”
But the embezzlement charge? That one stuck for sure. The amount of money he had stolen was huge and since he couldn’t pay it back, Salvatore was sentenced to five years in prison.
Then came the bombshell.
In court, Salvatore found out that Queenie wasn’t his daughter at all. He was so shocked, he spat blood and collapsed right there. I could almost feel bad for him. He had always thought Queenie was the result of his true love, but it turned out she wasn’t even his kid.”
His life had already been a mess, but now it was a full–blown disaster. Everything he had worked for came crashing down because of someone else’s kid.
I guessed no one could blame him for losing it. It was the kind of thing that would break anyone.}]
